CRUISE TO THE WHITE SEA ON THE NAUTICA

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Arkhangelsk

Today we are in ARkhangelsk. We had to tender ashore and its was a very difficult route to follow. No tender today We have a real dock. Arkhangelsk is considerably bigger than the other islands we have visited with a larger population.

The ground is basically a marsh so construction is very difficult. All of the buildings were originally wood. Many of the houses are still wood. Our guide say older people like to live in wooden structures. The say it is healthier. There is a central heating plant that pipes heat in large pipes to all the houses. This is their idea of “Central heating”.

It was a beautiful day with a temperature hovering around 75. n All the Russian young people were in shorts and tee shirts. The large river that runs through Arkhangelsk is the Dvina.. The embankment is fixed in many places so it is very conducive to sitting and viewing the river.

We got out and walked along the embankment to the statue of Peter the Great. Peter was a futurist and saw the importance of shipping. His first boat building factory was in Arkhangelsk. The remains ae still there.

We also visited a museum of antique icons which were quite beautiful. On a lower floor were paints by contemporary artists. Some of then were quite good.
We then went to an area called Chumbarova street which contains wooden buildings that have been brought there from various parts and restored. They are really pretty. We walked along that street which was two blocks long. There was a guitarist playing a lovely Russian melody. It wa really a beautiful afternoon.

Then on the way back to the ship we stopped at the British cemetery. All the British soldiers killed in WWi and WWII fighting for the allies who died in this area are buried there. It is very well kept and quite beautiful.We then returned to the ship.

The weather was so nice that we ate out on the deck again.

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Photos

AN ICON FROM MUSEUM
ALL OF THESE RESCUED FROM CHURCHES THAT WERE DESTROYED BY SOVIETS